This invention relates to liquid collecting apparatus particularly useful in sample testing where it is necessary to handle small metered quantities of liquids in batches.
For example, in the laboratory testing of body fluids such as blood or urine, it is commonly necessary to mix metered amounts of the fluid with different chemicals or reagents in order to perform particular tests on the fluid. Accordingly, there is a need in such testing for a device which can handle, as a batch, small metered quantities of the fluid or a test liquid. The device may be used, for example, to deliver the metered quantities of fluid to a test plate such as a microtiter plate having a batch of wells each containing a different chemical or reagent, so that the separate fluid samples in the device can be mixed with the different liquids in the plate. Alternatively the device may be used to receive samples of liquid from a reservoir or a microtiter plate and hold for transfer the samples to a subsequent test station for mixing with the body fluid.
One known form of device for use in the batch-wise handling of metered liquid test samples comprises, for example, a base member or the like from which are suspended an array of sampling tubes, or pipettes which when dipped into a liquid, will each adsorb an equal amount of the liquid by capillary action. A device of this nature tends to be somewhat cumbersome, particularly where it is required for storage of the liquid samples such as for subsequent testing.
Other known forms of liquid handling device for laboratory testing utilize batch-wise arrays of absorbent cards and the like associated with different forms of holder for receiving the metered sample batches.